S'pore govt launches 'myth busting' websites

The Singapore government has launched a new section on its official website that is designed to give answers to hot topics as part of its 'myth busting' initiatives, reported The Straits Times.

Called 'Factually', its purpose is to address questions that have arisen over controversial decisions. Since May, it has collected a series of primers on hot topics.

For instance, the very first question it addressed was whether a family with a $1,000 monthly income would be able to afford an HDB flat.

Topics range from transport, housing, COE, debt levels, procurement, and even the national reserve.

According to the paper, a spokesman for the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) said that the section is meant to be 'a convenient, central and credible platform' for a summary of key facts on certain policy decision.

Apart from this, the Housing Board has also launched a new website called HDB Speaks (http://www.hdbspeaks.sg/), which, as its tagline states, lets you 'Get the facts on the myths of HDB'.

Its sections deal with topics such as HDB for singles, $1 million flats, COVs, and subletting.

Hoarding problem difficult to eradicate

The death of a 76-year-old man, whose body was found among heaps of junk accumulated in his four-room-flat, has again sparked concern over the issue of hoarding.

Hoarding is a common problem in rental homes which often goes unnoticed, welfare organisations told The Straits Times (ST) in an article published on August 17.

According to one such organisation, there is a hoarder found in two out of every 10 households visited by welfare workers.

The problem is not restricted to rental flats.

Mr Quek, whose body was found in the rubbish-filled flat on Wednesday, had been previously advised by HDB to remove unwanted items from the Bedok Reservoir flat.

According to reports, his wife had told the Housing Board that he was hoarding rubbish in his flat.
The items were piled from floor to ceiling when he was found dead in his home.

HDB told ST that its officers conduct investigations when it receives feedback that residents are hoarding and causing fire hazards.

The authority will also help to dispose of them if needed.

It is also common for residents' committees and grassroots leaders to help persuade hoarders to throw away unwanted items.

However, town councils do not have the power to regulate the items residents keep within their flats.
The problem remains difficult to eradicate even if it is not widespread.

People who know the hoarder could suffer, and as a consequence, relationships could deteriorate and worsen the problem.

The problem also often goes unnoticed because there is usually no trouble posed to neighbours. Hoarders also tend to be reclusive and do not interact with their neighbours.

In its report, MP Lily Neo, whose Tanjong Pagar ward has more than 5,000 rental flats, said the hoarding problem has improved gradually over the years.

"Those who are clear-minded do listen to me when I tell them about bed bugs, and that they may develop a cough living in that kind of air, but some are stubborn," she said.

Difficulty of eradicating the problem is also exacerbated because it could be caused by mental illnesses like obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and dementia.

Dr Lee Cheng, chief of the Department of Community Psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health, told ST that hoarders are often isolated and have come from the low-income segment of society.

But not all hoarders have mental illnesses, health professionals said. Some keep items for sentimental reasons, or because they believe that the items have value high enough to be kept and sold at a later date.

50-year home-loan a 'gimmick': Khaw

SINGAPORE - For those thinking of taking up long-term loans in order to buy their dream home, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has this message for you: Don't do it.

Instead, Singaporeans should exercise prudence, especially amid the uncertain global financial climate, he said.

He advised against taking up 50-year housing loans, which at least one bank here began offering recently.
Mr Khaw said: "There is now some gimmick, a bank offering 50-year loans. Please don't fall for that. It doesn't make sense."

He was speaking to reporters in Woodlands Drive yesterday, during the launch of the National Community Emergency Response Team (Cert)-on-Patrol Week for Sembawang GRC.

Last month, The Straits Times reported that United Overseas Bank had introduced a 50-year home loan. The report said that borrowers above a certain age are not eligible.

Other banks, such as OCBC, offer a maximum loan period for private and HDB homes of 40 years, or up to the age of 75, whichever is earlier.

Mr Khaw said it is important that people live within their means and buy only what they can afford.

He said that he first rented a room in a flat when he moved from Malaysia to Singapore. He then bought a small 30-year-old house in a private estate and upgraded subsequently.

Mr Khaw said: "If you want to immediately come out of school and think you want a five-room flat, and...a 50-year loan will help you achieve that, I don't think that is very wise."

Take-up rates for the loan have been low, a "good sign that Singaporeans know we should always be prudent", he said.

Yesterday's event marked the launch of the pilot project, and saw 238 Cert members trained in emergency preparation going door-to-door to give out leaflets and spread the fire-safety message.

Sembawang GRC has one of the highest rates of bin chute fires here, with 74 such fires recorded from January to March.

It is expected that the project - which began last Wednesday and ends on Thursday - will reach out to some 75,000 households in Sembawang GRC and the Cert-on-Patrol Week will be rolled out islandwide within a year.

At the event, Mr Khaw also tried his hand at riding a bicycle - one of 47 sponsored by French consumer-product company Bic to aid Cert in its work.

Bic will provide another 53 of the Aleomakino Italy bicycles - which cost about $200 each - to West Coast GRC.

Yesterday, he reiterated that foldable bikes are a good choice for the National Parks Board's (NParks) field officers.

Last month, an NParks officer responsible for the $57,200 purchase of 26 Brompton folding bicycles was suspended from duty, after an internal-audit team discovered "discrepancies".

Mr Khaw said he recently joined an NParks officer on a tree inspection and found that the job would be more challenging with a normal bicycle.

He said: "I'm convinced that, in the case of NParks, (for) the type of work that they do...foldable bikes are not wrong.

"But how they acquire them is a different story."

6 months' paid leave for mum?

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has come up with suggestions to nudge reluctant Singaporeans to have more babies.

At the top of its wish list: give working mothers six months’ paid maternity leave, with an option for a further six months’ unpaid leave.

Also, it believes bigger government housing grants would help couples get their first Housing Board flat earlier and hopefully start families sooner too.

And it wants employers to do more to help employees balance their work and family life. This means going beyond merely paying lip service, and making flexible work arrangements a reality.

NTUC assistant secretary-general Cham Hui Fong told The Sunday Times that these and other recommendations by its family unit will be handed to the National Population and Talent Division this week.

The Government is reviewing policies to encourage Singaporeans to marry and have babies as Singapore’s total fertility rate has fallen to 1.2 children per woman of childbearing age, far below the replacement rate of 2.1.

The labour movement consulted members, conducted surveys and held small group discussions before drawing up its suggestions.

It hopes to encourage young couples without children to start families, as well as convince those with only one child to consider having more, said Ms Cham, 43, a former nominated MP.

She thinks it would make a difference if maternity leave goes up from the current four months to six months. “When parents don’t want to have a second kid, they say it is because they don’t have enough quality time to spend with the child,” she said.

But even if the Government pays for the additional two months of maternity leave, there must be buy-in from smaller firms because they have to hire temporary staff when mothers go on long leave.

“Today, if we say there is no discrimination, we’re kidding ourselves,” Ms Cham said. “In reality, some women fear that if they disappear from the job for six months, they can be displaced forever.”

Still, she felt six months’ maternity leave would be attractive to women considering motherhood.

To make housing more affordable for young couples, she hoped the Government would increase the housing subsidy, which is now between $30,000 and $40,000 for first-time HDB resale flat buyers.

Young couples say they still find it hard to afford their first flat. The extra financial help might reverse the trend of delayed marriage, said Ms Cham, citing the rising number of singles aged 25 to 29.

The NTUC’s list of ideas includes having two days’ mandatory paternity leave. “The guys don’t mind taking their own leave, but it’s a kind of support that the company can give if we want to promote equal parenting,” she said.

Why she would rather forego $50 pay raise

SINGAPORE - When the National Wages Council accepted a proposal by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to give a $50 pay hike to workers earning less than $1,000, many among these low-wage earners cheered.
But not this 66-year-old cleaner. Instead, the proposition worried her.

Madam Tan (not her real name) said she had actually turned down a pay increase offered by her company last year.

She earns $800 a month and lives in a one-room rental flat. She said the raise would have pushed her into a higher salary bracket, causing the rent of the flat to go up from $26 to $111.

According to HDB's website, those earning between $801 and $1,500 will pay rent of between $90 and $123, instead of the $26 to $33 that those earning below $801 pay.

"It's not that I don't want to earn more and pay higher rent, but maybe the (rent) increase could be smaller," Madam Tan said.

"I'm very thankful that the authorities are giving this increase, but I'll be $35 worse off."

The divorcee, who has been a cleaner for 10 years, lives alone. Her two children, who are in their 40s, are unable to support her, she told The New Paper.

Social workers told The New Paper that many others have fears similar to Madam Tan's.

Flexible

But responding to queries from TNP, HDB said that it exercises flexibility to make sure that those getting a pay increase don't end up worse off because of higher rent.

Madam Tan's current lease expires in January next year.

So what will her rent be if she renews her tenancy?

An HDB spokesman said: "Based on Madam (Tan's) last reported income in February 2011... Her rental fees will remain at the same rate of $26 per month, since her increased household income would still be below $800."

HDB declined to reveal her reported income because of confidentiality issues, but Madam Tan told TNP that she had earned $650 a month as a polyclinic cleaner for six years.

She started earning $800 when she joined her present employer, a global provider of facility services, in April last year.

If she renews her tenancy next year, HDB will re-evaluate how much rent she has to pay.

The HDB spokesman said that even if Madam Tan's household income exceeds $800, her rent may not go up to $111 (as Madam Tan claims).

Said the spokesman: "HDB does exercise flexibility to ensure that any rental increase will not result in a worse-off situation for the tenant."

Madam Tan also gets payment under the Workfare scheme and assistance from various organisations.

She gets groceries, free meals and vouchers from voluntary welfare organisations.

Bt Timah estate residents reject eldercare facilities too

SINGAPORE - Residents of Toh Yi estate in Bukit Timah are rejecting HDB's plans to build eldercare facilities in their estate, following in the footsteps of similar objections from Woodlands residents.

HDB plans to build studio apartments for the elderly in the area, to be housed in one block on a plot of land at the junction of Toh Yi Road and Toh Yi Drive, The Straits Times reported.

Residents say the apartments will 'rob' them of their common space and the recreational facilities currently situation on the plot of land, which includes a basketball court, garden and a jogging track.

However, a HDB official said the apartment block will have a playground and exercise corner on its second floor, which will be open to all residents in the estate.

Some residents also raised the objection that the apartments are like 'death houses' - places where elderly go to wait for their death.

More than 200 signatures were collected in a petition signed by residents from the 19 HDB blocks in the area, private landed estate opposite, and a nearby condominium.

The petition was submitted to MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Ms Sim Ann yesterday.

While she said she is working with HDB to address these concerns, Ms Sim said the apartments is a sensible proposal as the area has its share of elderly folks.

However, she acknowledged the unhappiness surrounding the removal of the amenities occupying the land as the town council had spent $120,000 building the jogging track and garden last year, having not known the upcoming plans for the land.

HDB held a closed-door meeting with more than 100 residents yesterday to discuss the situation.

Last week, it was reported that Woodlands residents are protesting plans to build an elder day-care centre at the void decks of their HDB blocks, as they fear it will deprive them of void deck space and cause their property value to depreciate.

S'pore's economy to grow 1-3% in 2012

SINGAPORE - Singapore's economy is expected to grow by one to three per cent in 2012, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his New Year message yesterday.

Mr Lee explained that as a small, open country, Singapore will inevitably be affected by the debt problems in Europe as the external environment is uncertain and 2012 looks to be a difficult year for the global economy.

In 2011, Singapore achieved a 4.8 per cent economic growth.

The prime minister also highlighted that the tightening inflow of foreign workers will also slow economic growth.


"Admitting fewer foreign workers also means forgoing business opportunities and accepting slower growth," said Mr Lee. Adding that, Singaporeans must raise productivity, "to make up in quality what we will miss in quantity".

However, Mr Lee said: "Overall, we have every reason to be confident and optimistic."

"Amidst this flux, we need to be confident of our position, and clear about our priorities and plans to build a better Singapore," he emphasised.

The government is working hard to tackle the immediate challenges and the long-term issues to improve Singaporeans' lives.

Among pressing issues, the government is committed to keeping homes affordable to all Singaporeans. In 2012, PM said that there will be another 25,000 new launches of BTO flats.

The government will also redouble efforts to improve the public transport system and expand the train and bus network. He said that more MRT lines are on the way and bus services will be enhanced to improve the daily commuting experience.

In the long run, the prime minister pledged to keep healthcare affordable and accessible, enhance the education system and uphold inclusive growth and social mobility.

Mr Lee noted that population is a "particularly complex and critical challenge," which will be discussed over the year, so that Singaporeans can better understand what is at stake and what choices we must make as a nation.

"I am confident that in a changing world, we will continue to bond as one people and walk shoulder to shoulder into a brighter tomorrow," said Mr Lee, as he wished Singaporeans a happy new year.

Electricity tariffs to increase by average of 2.3 per cent

Between Jan 1 and March 31 next year, electricity tariffs will increase by an average of 2.3 per cent due to higher fuel prices, reported The Straits Times.

The charges will increase to 27.59 cents per kilowatt hour from the current 26.98 cents, bringing about an average monthly increase of $2.30 in the electricity bills for families living in four-room HDB flats.

Electricity tariffs are reviewed every three months based on guidelines set by the Energy Market Authority, who regulates the electricity industry.

800,000 HDB households to receive $40 million of U-Save rebates

About 800,000 Singaporean households in Housing Board flats can expect to receive $40 million worth of Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebates in January 2012, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Friday.

A Singaporean household may receive up to $90 in U-Save rebates, depending on the Housing Board flat type.

The U-Save rebates in January are the final tranche of the five years of rebates that were granted as part of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Offset Package beginning in 2007.

Over the past five years, those living in Housing Board flats have received more than $800 million worth of utilities rebates, including additional rebates given under the Grow & Share Package this year.